The Day The Music Died – 50 Years Ago Today

The 3 February 1959 was immortalised in the song American Pie by Don MacLean as “the day the music died”. It was the day on which Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash in Iowa. Eight years later Joe Meek, the eccentric, and sometimes brilliant, record producer, shot himself after shooting dead his landlady at his flat in the Holloway Road. Two years later John, George and Ringo signed a management deal with Allen Klein, while Paul opted to go with his father-in-law Lee Eastman. This was a year to the day after recording Lady Madonna, which was exactly four years after they arrived in NYC to begin their first US tour. Two years to the day after Buddy Holly died Bob Dylan recorded his first song, San Francisco Bay Blues. On the positive side a number of rock and pop people have been born on 3 February. On the day that Buddy Holly and the others died, Lol Tolhurst of the Cure entered the world. In 1947 Dave Davies of the Kinks and Melanie were born. A year later Ozzy - although his mum called him John - Osbourne let out his first wail. . .I’ll refrain from making the obvious link.